Students all over the United States marched for their lives

On March 24, 2018 a student-led march, March for Our Lives, was held in support of tighter gun control. The main event took place in Washington D.C., while there were over 800 similar events taking place throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

The event followed a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida where a former student shot and killed 17 people. This shooting was described by many media outlets as the tipping point for tighter gun control.

Many celebrities showed their support for the march. Amal and George Clooney donated $500,000 to support and so did others like Oprah Winfrey and Gucci. James Corden promoted the march, and the co-founders of Lyft, John Zimmer and Logan Green, provided free rides for those attending.

During the event, there were many speakers, including students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. These included Cameron Kasky, David Hogg, Delaney Tarr, and Emma González.

Gonzalez, a high school senior, who became a young voice for gun control after the shooting, took the stage and after she named the 17 victims and stood silent for four minutes, the silence was ended by a cell phone alarm. Gonzalez said, “Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds. The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape, and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.”

The turnout of the event is estimated to be 1.2 to 2 million people throughout the U.S., making it one of the largest protests in American history, right up there with the Women’s March of 2017 and 2018.

There were many sibling events that took place throughout the U.S. including the state of Michigan. Many students, even from SLHS, went. Senior Hannah Elandt said, “There were so many people, probably thousands. It was amazing, especially all of the posters,” Many people at the march held up empowering posters talking about gun control and the safety in our schools. “There were cars that would drive by and say things that were positive, and it just made me feel good.”

So what next? Many media outlets have said that it is unlikely that Congress will do much, mainly because America is the number one country when it comes to gun ownership. Although the marches will not achieve the final goal, they are a step in the right direction. Senior Katie McArthur said, “It was really cool to be in an environment where you felt so safe and also like you were making progress.”